I wrote my post for an assignment on the "Discussion board". This was a response to another person's post (which counts towards my grade. My reply got a 2 out of a 2.5 which is pretty bad considering how short most people's replies are. I got into this reply). My teacher's response is in caps.
[FONT="]I can definitely relate to Brittany. My family never had a serious financial issue while I was growing up, and all three of my siblings went to college. Recently, however, I notice that I am not as fortunate as my brothers, and I must commute to William Paterson because my parents don't have the money for me to live on campus like they did in the past. I realize I am still very fortunate compared to others, but I am recognizing certain changes in my family's lifestyle.
I can also relate to Brittany in that, from a very early age, my parents have always stressed how important it is to get good grades in order to 'get ahead' in life. In their minds, if I finish college with good grades, and I come out with that special piece of paper, I will be able to get a high paying job and become successful in life. However, I feel that this could not be farther from the truth.
Presently, it seems higher education being a necessity is the wide spread belief. One must consider if everyone across the globe is going through college, is it really setting you apart from anyone? One must also consider that a vast majority of these students are not getting help from their families and must pay their way through school. In business terms, going for a degree sounds just like buying a business that is guaranteed to lose money for the first five years, competes in an incredibly overcrowded market, requires the owner to work forty hours a week, and the owner can't declare bankruptcy or sell it! (*This was an analogy someone made on this forum! I'll have to dig up who to give credit..)
It is also interesting to note that people with a college education can sometimes be overqualified for a particular job. I am still going through college because my parents are so stuck to the 'old school' mentality that if I decided I did not want to go to school they would probably force me to live on my own. In my situation, having a degree is definitely beneficial since I have something to fall back on (which is exactly what I consider it, a back up plan) and my parents are financing it. However, with so many people becoming wealthy in areas that require a strong work ethic and not a college degree (Real estate for example), MICHAEL, THE REAL ESTATE MARKET IS IN TERRIBLE TROUBLE RIGHT NOW!! I do not believe a college education is a necessity to make it in this world, or support a family. MICHAEL, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ SOME GOOD NEWSPAPERS ON A REGULAR BASIS, LOOK AT SOME STATISTICS ON UNEMPLOYMENT (COLLEGE GRADUATES VS. NON-COLLEGE GRADS), AND LOOK AT THE REAL ESTATE MARKET MORE CLOSELY. MUCH OF THIS INFORMATION IS ALSO FOUND IN TE TEXT FOR THIS CLASS! YOUR PERPSECTIVE DOES NOT MATCH TODAY’S REALITY. YOU ARE VERY RIGHT THAT A COLLEGE EDUCATION IS NO GUARANTEE OF A GOOD JOB. HOWEVER, IT MAKES YOUR CHANCES OF FINDING ONE MUCH BETTER THAN THEY WOULD BE WITHOUT ONE (UNLESS YOU HAD SOME GREAT VOCATIONAL TRAINING— WHICH IS ALL TOO RARE THESE DAYS)![/FONT]
I am kind of flabbergasted at this. Haha. My perspective doesn't match today's reality? I was under the impression that one can make it happen regardless of how the market is doing. What do you guys think of this post?
[FONT="]I can definitely relate to Brittany. My family never had a serious financial issue while I was growing up, and all three of my siblings went to college. Recently, however, I notice that I am not as fortunate as my brothers, and I must commute to William Paterson because my parents don't have the money for me to live on campus like they did in the past. I realize I am still very fortunate compared to others, but I am recognizing certain changes in my family's lifestyle.
I can also relate to Brittany in that, from a very early age, my parents have always stressed how important it is to get good grades in order to 'get ahead' in life. In their minds, if I finish college with good grades, and I come out with that special piece of paper, I will be able to get a high paying job and become successful in life. However, I feel that this could not be farther from the truth.
Presently, it seems higher education being a necessity is the wide spread belief. One must consider if everyone across the globe is going through college, is it really setting you apart from anyone? One must also consider that a vast majority of these students are not getting help from their families and must pay their way through school. In business terms, going for a degree sounds just like buying a business that is guaranteed to lose money for the first five years, competes in an incredibly overcrowded market, requires the owner to work forty hours a week, and the owner can't declare bankruptcy or sell it! (*This was an analogy someone made on this forum! I'll have to dig up who to give credit..)
It is also interesting to note that people with a college education can sometimes be overqualified for a particular job. I am still going through college because my parents are so stuck to the 'old school' mentality that if I decided I did not want to go to school they would probably force me to live on my own. In my situation, having a degree is definitely beneficial since I have something to fall back on (which is exactly what I consider it, a back up plan) and my parents are financing it. However, with so many people becoming wealthy in areas that require a strong work ethic and not a college degree (Real estate for example), MICHAEL, THE REAL ESTATE MARKET IS IN TERRIBLE TROUBLE RIGHT NOW!! I do not believe a college education is a necessity to make it in this world, or support a family. MICHAEL, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ SOME GOOD NEWSPAPERS ON A REGULAR BASIS, LOOK AT SOME STATISTICS ON UNEMPLOYMENT (COLLEGE GRADUATES VS. NON-COLLEGE GRADS), AND LOOK AT THE REAL ESTATE MARKET MORE CLOSELY. MUCH OF THIS INFORMATION IS ALSO FOUND IN TE TEXT FOR THIS CLASS! YOUR PERPSECTIVE DOES NOT MATCH TODAY’S REALITY. YOU ARE VERY RIGHT THAT A COLLEGE EDUCATION IS NO GUARANTEE OF A GOOD JOB. HOWEVER, IT MAKES YOUR CHANCES OF FINDING ONE MUCH BETTER THAN THEY WOULD BE WITHOUT ONE (UNLESS YOU HAD SOME GREAT VOCATIONAL TRAINING— WHICH IS ALL TOO RARE THESE DAYS)![/FONT]
I am kind of flabbergasted at this. Haha. My perspective doesn't match today's reality? I was under the impression that one can make it happen regardless of how the market is doing. What do you guys think of this post?
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